Product type
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Freezer. A device for storing frozen food, made in the form of a cabinet with a vertically located door. Freezers are convenient because they can occupy a relatively small area with significant capacity.
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Chest freezer. A device for storing frozen food, made in the form of a chest, that is, a horizontally located box, in which the top cover acts as a door. The chest has a small height and, as a result, occupies a larger area than freezers. On the other hand, they are more convenient for storing bulky products and allow you to use the entire working volume without dividing it into boxes.
— Display chest showcase. Freezer designed for commercial use. It has a transparent top cover through which the buyer can view the product without opening the device; the same cover usually serves as a door. Display chest showcases can be seen in modern stores. They store ice cream and semi-finished products.
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Ice maker. Unlike other types of freezers, the ice maker is designed not to store food but to produce edible ice in large quantities. Such units are widely used in cafes, restaurants and bars, where chilled drinks often have to be prepared.
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Shock freezer. A shock freezer is a high-capacity freezer. Shock freezing involves the processing of products with a temperature of 30 to 50 °C below zero. At this tempe
...rature, the tissue structure freezes at the micro level. It is very important because, in the products subjected to shock freezing, the tissues are not damaged so that the products will not turn into a liquid during defrosting, and it also makes it possible to preserve the original microelement and vitamin composition in the products. Thanks to shock freezing, you can harvest any vegetables, berries, fruits, etc. After defrosting, the products will acquire the same appearance and taste properties as at the start of shock freezing. After quick and deep freezing, the low-temperature zone switches to the mode of operation of an ordinary freezer.Capacity
It is the total working capacity of the freezer. A larger capacity allows you to accommodate more products but affects the dimensions and cost of the unit. Therefore, when choosing according to this parameter, you should not chase after the maximum capacity but the capacity you really need. For example, the average required capacity is 50 litres per person. And when choosing a display chest freezer (see "Product type"), you need to take into account the number of products offered for sale.
It is also worth considering that the freezer is often divided into several compartments (see below) - which means that a large capacity does not guarantee that large pieces of food can fit in the device.
Number of compartments
it is the number of compartments provided in the design of the freezer. In some models, it is possible to set different temperatures for different compartments. It is worth noting that a large number of boxes does not always mean maximum convenience, since, with an increase in their number, the volume of each individual box inevitably decreases.
Power failure autonomy
The amount of time the freezer keeps food cold enough when the refrigeration system is turned off, for example, due to a breakdown or power outage. Technically, the power failure autonomy for each model is calculated differently; For example, for a freezer with an operating temperature of -18 ° C, this is the period during which the products in the chamber heat up from -18 ° C to -9 ° C. To sum up, the time is indicated during which the frozen products are guaranteed not to heat up to a temperature at which they could lose their properties.
Freeze capacity
One of the main indicators of freezer performance is the approximate amount of fresh food that the freezer can completely freeze from room temperature to the minimum operating temperature in 24 hours. For domestic use, a power of 10-15 kg/day is considered quite sufficient. More performant models may be required if you have to freeze a lot of food at a time or for industrial purposes.
Child lock
The child lock allows you to block freezer controls and/or access to its internal volumes. This function will be useful in families where there are small children. Thus, the child will not be able to get to the freezer controls and change its operation mode.
Energy consumption per year
It is the average amount of energy consumed by the freezer in a year of operation. Of course, these figures are not absolutely accurate. The actual power consumption may vary depending on the specific operating conditions. However, this parameter makes it possible to evaluate the consumption of the device and compare different models with each other. At the same time, it often turns out to be more convenient and visual than the energy consumption class (see above) because, in this paragraph, we are talking about a specific figure (from which you can also calculate the cost of electricity consumed).
Noise level
The average noise level generated by the freezer during operation. The quietest models give out about 25 - 30 dB — this is the average noise background in a residential area at night (comparable to the ticking of a wall clock); the loudest — is about 60 dB (loud conversation). More detailed comparison tables can be found in special sources.
In any case, the lower the noise level, the more comfortable the use of the unit. However, it does not always make sense to look for the
quietest freezer: in some situations (for example, in a noisy workshop), the freezer's sound may be lost against the surrounding noise background. In addition, reduced noise often affects the price.